Also known as West Westland
In the Valuation Roll for 1940 James Campbell is listed as proprietor of farms Nether and Over Cairn, Harehill, and part of Westland Hill. The 1841 census shows a Thomas Hamilton 20, with Margaret 25, James 2, Thomas 1, and Janet Ferguson 15 and Agnes Ferguson 9 living at Westland Hill. The Hamilton name had a long association with Westland.
on Roy's map of 1752-5 as Westland
Farm Tax Rolls 1797-8 Widow Rankin West Waesland 4 horses 3 taxed
Link This link will take you to the New Cumnock History site where there is a detailed account of the life of the Browns of Meikle Westland.
This for sale notice does not appear to have enough acreage to refer to Meikle Westland, as it seems to have been a much bigger farm.
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| Robert Guthrie |
1841 census Archibald Brown 25 farmer Robert Brown 30, Mary Brown 25, Hugh Hamilton 20, Agnes Harkness 20, and Janet Burgess, 12.
1851 census Archibald Brown farmer of 180(0) acres employing John Graham 18, James Park 12, Clark Wilson 30, and Rachel Lee 16, housekeeper. (Mis print on census transcript presume 1800 acres)
1861 census Archibald Brown 42 farmer 1200 acres. John Miller 24, ploughman, David Jackson 21, shepherd, Clark Wilson 41, housekeeper, Margaret Milligan 23, dairymaid, Robert Neil 17, shepherd.
1871 census Archibald Brown 54 his wife Jane (Brown Richard) 34, 2 small children, William 5, and Archibald 3, sister in law Mary Richard 22, and 3 servants, Samuel McCurdy 17, Simon Harper 17, and Ann Rowat 15, dairymaid.
There is a marriage announcement from the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald to say that in April 1874, Mary Richard, youngest daughter of Mr William Richard, Westend Cottage Dailly, was married to Mr Robert Hyslop, farmer, Ashwood, Whitchurch, Salop at Westland.- note there is a William Hyslop proprietor of Nether Westland in 1885.
1881 census Archibald Brown 68 his wife Jane 44 farming 1200 acres, 200 arable. Three children William 15, Archibald 13, and G. R. Brown 8. Servants are Catherine Caruthers 20, Agnes Stewart 14, dairymaid, and James Weir 18, ploughman.
1891 census Archibald Brown 78 wife 2 sons, William and George, and servants Agnes Dempster 21, Mary Kerr 17, dairymaid, and James Thomson 23, shepherd.
Archibald died in 1897
1901 census widow Jane Brown 64 and son George 28 are working the farm with one female servant, Margaret Wilson 19.
As detailed in the Cumnock History website, Archibald Brown junior had moved away to make a successful career in engineering. He came back and bought Meikle Westland to farm, and in 1904 was invited to chair the New Cumnock Schoolfellows Reunion where he gave a lengthy speech on the merits of a good education. Here is a lovely excerpt that illustrates just what a rural boy's childhood was like.....
( Robert Sommerville went on to run the farm of Mansfield Mains, New Cumnock)
"I well remember another characteristic little schoolboy adventure.
My companion was Robert Sommerville, and the time was a fine summer afternoon. To make a long story short, instead of going to school as we ought, we went up Afton and had a successful afternoon's guddling. Robert got seven trout, and I got eleven.
Next morning we went to school in fear and trembling, and as the sequel showed, our feelings were justified. Mr Nairn called us up to explain our absence and out came the whole story.
"Quite so Robert, and how many trout did you get?" asked Mr Nairn as he took the cane from the corner.
"Seven sir. "said Robert. "And you Archie?"
"Eleven sir." I answered.
..... Well, Robert got seven and I got eleven in the old style."
From the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald January 1904
Valuation Rolls
1855 prop Thomas Crawford, tenant Archibald Brown
1885 Proprietor - Thomas MacMitchon Crawford
1895 Proprietor - Henry Percy Sterndale
1905 Proprietor - Archibald Brown
The Cumnock History site describes how Archibald's business failed and the farm was sold off, but the tenancy was taken by his brother William while Archibald returned to Liverpool.
1915 Tenant - William Brown
1920 Proprietor E Polack, tenant William Brown
1935 Proprietor Jane MacLaren, tenant Andrew Jamieson
1940 Tenant Andrew Jamieson
